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A Hackathon for Open Tech by JOSA

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Applications Open Until July 13th

What is this about?

A Hackathon for the Open Web

The web is increasingly controlled by a handful of corporations. We're building the alternative.

Escape Vendor Lock-In

How can users leave a platform without losing their data, content, contacts, or workflows?

Bridge Closed and Open Worlds

How can people interact with open ecosystems without forcing everyone else to migrate first?

Make Open Alternatives Easier

Many open-source alternatives already exist. Why aren't people using them? Build tools that remove friction.

Remove Digital Friction

Automate annoying, repetitive, bloated, or unnecessarily complex workflows.

Challenge Tracks

Choose Your Track

Pick a track that matches your interests. Each one addresses a different facet of the open web.

1

UX & Accessibility / Grandma-Friendly

Open source alternatives to simple tools, designed for real people; email, messaging, and photo sharing. Using the tools shouldn’t require knowing 5 programming languages.

2

Open Infrastructure Tooling

From deployment to server management. Make running your own infrastructure as easy as logging in a social media app.

3

Communication Freedom / Interoperability & Bridges

Keep using popular messaging apps and social media platforms without the downsides of invasive big tech practices or asking contacts to migrate.

4

Local-First & Data Ownership

Make switching services painless with tools that help people escape centralized platforms, create tools to help export and migrate one’s data as they like.

The C.r.e.a.m of the Crop

Prizes

The real prizes are the tools we made along the way, the way to reshape the web. But some cash is always welcome, which is why we will reward the top projects:

2nd
500 JOD
Runner Up
1st
1000 JOD
Grand Prize
3rd
250 JOD
Third Place

Three Steps to Shipping

How It Works

1

Register

Sign up solo or with a team of up to 4. All skill levels welcome.

2

Build

Once accepted, choose a track, pick a problem, and hack away.

3

Submit

Present your project to judges and the community. The goal is to ship something real.

Projects Eligibility Criteria

For your project to be eligible to join the hackathon, it must meet the following criteria:

1

Open Source

Projects must be released under an OSI-approved open source license.

2

Real Problem, Real Users

Projects should solve a genuine problem faced by users, communities, developers, or organizations. Applications should clearly explain: the problem, who's facing it, why existing solutions are insufficient.

3

Practicality

Projects should be compatible with existing workflows such as developing tools that sync seamlessly with existing big tech flows or bridging tools that allow cross use or total migration between open source and proprietary software.

4

Realistic Scope

Projects should focus on a specific problem rather than attempting to recreate an entire platform or company. Projects should be realistically maintainable after the event.

5

User Ownership & Privacy

Projects should respect users by prioritizing data portability, transparency, user control and privacy by design.

6

Extensibility

If applicable, projects should expose interfaces that allow future integration and extension.

7

AI Usage

AI-assisted development is allowed. However, projects must be understandable, maintainable, documented, and demonstrably owned by the team. You may vibe and you may code but don’t vibe code as Judges may penalize projects that consist primarily of unmaintainable AI-generated code (aka AI slop).

Disqualifiers

Projects that meet any of the following criteria will be disqualified:

  • Using buzzwords without substance: Projects that claim to use trendy technologies (like AI, blockchain, etc.) without a clear explanation of how they are used or why they are necessary.
  • Vague Problem Statement: Projects that do not clearly articulate the problem they are solving or the users they are targeting.
  • Unrealistic Scope: Projects that attempt to recreate an entire platform or company, or are not maintainable after the event.
  • Privacy Violations: Projects that do not respect user privacy or data ownership principles.
  • AI Slop: Projects that consist primarily of unmaintainable AI-generated code without clear ownership and documentation by the team.

Timeline

Key Dates

Jun 22nd

Registration Opens

Sign up individually or as a team with your proposed project idea.

Jul 13th

Registration Closes

Final deadline for applications.

Jul 18th

Opening Ceremony

Kickoff event for the hackathon.

Jul 18th - Aug 1st

Hacking Period

Build your project with your team.

Aug 1st

Submissions Due

Submit your project, documentation, and demo.

Aug 1st - Aug 8th

Judging

Projects reviewed by open source maintainers and community leaders.

Aug 8th

Closing Ceremony

Winners are announced and the community gets to witness the great efforts.

Inspiration

Projects to Explore

Get inspired by these open source projects that embody the spirit of this hackathon. Get ideas, learn from their approaches, or even build on top of them.

nchat

Terminal-based messaging client for Linux and macOS with Telegram, WhatsApp and Signal support.

Open link

RSS-Bridge

A project that allows you to generate RSS feeds for websites that don't have one.

Open link

YunoHost

An operating system aiming to simplify as much as possible the administration of a server.

Open link

Pixelfed

ActivityPub-driven decentralised photo sharing platform.

Open link

matterbridge

A simple bridge between various chat services, allowing users to connect different messaging platforms.

Open link

Syncthing

A peer-to-peer file sync tool that allows users to sync files between devices without relying on a central server.

Open link

Why This Matters

More Than a Competition

This hackathon isn't about building the next startup. It's about building the tools and infrastructure that make tech work better for everyone.

Join a community of builders who believe tech should be open, interoperable, owned by its users and most importantly not controlled by a handful of corporations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to Build a Better Internet?

Join builders working on practical tools for digital ownership and the open internet.

Register Now

Organized by

JOSA

Supported by

Drosos Foundation